A UNION member has challenged councillors to “stand up and be counted” in the wake of shocking figures regarding job cuts in the fire service.

The statistics show that approximately 7,000 firefighters jobs have been cut in the last five years in England, with the north west of England suffering the largest amount of job losses.

The study showed the North West has lost 22.3 per cent of jobs in the fire department over the last five years, ahead of Yorkshire and the Humber (17.4 per cent); North East (17 per cent); South East (16.6 per cent) and London (13.9 per cent).

'Breaking point'


BREAKING POINT: Tony Callister of the FBU.  Tony Callister of the Fire Brigades Union said that the fire services in Cumbria are integral to the emergency response services in the county.

He said: “It does appear that these cuts are getting bigger and bigger and the impact in Cumbria has been clear.

“Our hands are tied and, with the demands that firefighters are under, and what has gone before, the services are reaching breaking point. These decisions are out of our hands and it is now up to councillors to stand up and be counted over this matter.”

Save Walney Fire Station

Mr Callister also spoke about the importance of the likes of Walney Fire Station in providing more resources to the local area.

The Evening Mail has been running a campaign to keep the fire station open.

Mr Callister added: “Walney Fire Station is integral as it is in a special geographical location and, if their services were lost, Walney and the surrounding area would really suffer.”

He ended by pointing out that this is also a nationwide issue.

He added: “I have friends in the fire departments in other parts of the country and they too are struggling with these cuts. This is a national issue.”

'More cuts to come'

This comes after FBU general secretary, Matt Wrack, warned that these statistics could indicate that the fire services are being broken apart.

Mr Wrack said: “Our figures show that the fire and rescue service in England is being effectively dismantled, and the very worrying thing is that it is not going to end here.

“We know more cuts are on the way.”